Johann Ludwig Krebs (Buttelstedt, 12 October 1713 – Altenburg, 1 January 1780) was a favourite pupil of the great J.S. Bach (who regarded him particularly highly, punning on their two surnames declaring Krebs ‘was the only crayfish in his stream’) and a supremely talented inheritor of the composer–organist tradition of the Northern European Baroque. As a member of the last generation of these musicians, he lived in a time of marked shifts in taste, during the rise of the empfindsamer (sensitive) style, with its preference for balance and grace over the high baroque’s interwoven contrapuntal lines and chromatic harmony. For this reason his genius met with little acceptance during his long career, yet despite never securing a prestigious position and salary and never being commissioned to write he composed a significant body of music, particularly for the organ at which he excelled, his skill almost rivalling that of his mentor, J.S. Bach.

Today, long after the stylistic trends of his day have faded, Krebs is appreciated for his exceptionally refined music. For the organ this includes a variety of pieces in several improvisatory and contrapuntal forms, including a great many chorale settings. Thirteen of these come from his ClavierÜbung (keyboard method), the first volume of which was composed for the organ.